Deer in Headlights
by insane-pilosopo
Summary: Put your sunglasses on, little deer; Who would have known love could shine this bright? AkixMinako
1. Chapter 1

a/n: My very first Shin Megami Tensei Persona Fanfic! YEY!

for obvious reasons, this is AU, so please, don't point that out to me to say that this is AU cuz i very well know it is AU. Thank you.

And i try so much in writing this, i really hope you guys would enjoy this! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Pepper Spray<strong>

_"Met a girl in the parking lot,_

_and all I did was say hello_

_Her pepper spray made it rather hard_

_For me to walk her home_

_But I guess that's the way it goes…"_

A night jog, huh. It would have been fun if Shinji would come along, but that bastard's decided to ditch him and not show up nor answer his calls. Akihiko Sanada was a bit furious about that, but then retracted the idea. He somewhat did annoy the guy with all the calls he made for the past few hours prior to now. Sheesh, and they both just live in the same apartment.

Rain started to pour that he grimaced; he pulled up his jacket's hood above his head and was thankful he was already nearby the apartment. He didn't have an umbrella and he did not fancy going to look for shade and be stranded.

Just a couple more blocks and he's almost home, and then maybe he can have something warm for dinner, like ramen or what. Forget what Shinji had been telling him; unhealthy or not, he's eating instant ramen. It's freezing and he's hungry so it doesn't matter now.

He's almost there now, when he noticed a car pass by; it looked familiar, he thought, but he wasn't able to get a closer look. He thought of looking at the plate number, but aw the heck, as if he can remember plate numbers of cars he thought were familiar to him or belonged to someone.

"Better hurry…rain's picking up." He muttered to himself, as he turned the curb and sighed in relief at seeing the complex gate. He slowed down a bit, taking his time to get there and heard some voices and a car door closing. Two closes…no three. The third sounded more like the car trunk being closed. "huh. Someone just got back." He grinned, hoping it was Shinji. If it was, then, he might not have ramen tonight. That guy would cook anything to avoid having Akihiko lay a finger on a cup of instant ramen. Seriously, sometimes, Shinji's more like a mother to Akihiko than a best friend.

Finally he's at the gate, and looks at the complex parking lot; Huh. Shinji's not home yet; his car hasn't arrived. He looked around. A girl carrying a pink umbrella stood nearby a blue car he recognizes to belong to the third unit's resident. Who is she? What is she doing here? He was rather curious if there was a new resident in the apartment but he hasn't heard that they were going to have a new female neighbor. He thought, wasn't the apartment full already?

He heard her groan in frustration and the moment she turned around, he was able to glimpse her façade; the first he thought of was 'hey, she's cute.' She was trying to pull a big luggage by herself amidst having difficulty while holding her umbrella. Many times she almost fell back.

Akihiko watches her intently, sighing. 'She's never going to get that bag to move.' He thought. He then decided to lend her a hand. Walking up to her, with her back on him, he called out. "Hello." He said and she snapped up, looked at him and suddenly, Akihiko smelled pepper and his eyes stung like hell. He immediately pulled back, his hands in his eyes and yelling in pain. "AHG! WHAT THE-CRAP! OW! MY EYES!" he was yelling about, "What did you do that for? I was just saying hello and ask if you needed help!"

Great. Now he's partially blind.

"Huh? W-what? You…you're not a criminal?" she asked timidly, her voice as angelic as it sounded, but Akihiko had no time to appreciate the voice of the girl. He was in pain.

"Whatever made you think I-Oh crap, forget it! OWW…" he tried to reach for something, anything, so he could lean for a moment. He wanted to wash his eyes badly. Crap, the pepper spray stings so much, just how much did she spray on him?

"Minako, what's- Sanada-san?" a familiar voice called out and Akihiko tried his best to look and get a clear view of who spoke. He could make out who it was though, but the voice evidently told him who it was.

It was his ever lonesome neighbor, Arisato Minato. "Your eyes are red." He pointed the obvious out without any emotion in his tone, as his eyes traveled from Akihiko to the girl whom he called 'Minako.' "I told you that the bag is heavier than it looks. Give it to me." He said and walked towards her, umbrella in his other hand and his other effortlessly picked up the bag Minako was trying so hard to lift. "I see that's your fault." He looked at the girl, Akihiko and back at the girl. "You said you wanted to meet the neighbors. What a good first impression you made on one of them, Minako." He smugly said and walked ahead towards the stairs leading to the upper floors. Minako's jaw dropped as he heard Minato's words and quickly turned to Akihiko.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't…I didn't mean…I didn't know…" she pouted as Akihiko only sighed. He wanted to yell at her more, but hearing that she was already feeling bad about things, he decided not to make her feel worse.

"It's all right. Mistakes…happen…" he said and stood up straight once more, finally having a clear vision; however his eyes were still red and still stinging. Minako noticed they were still standing in the rain and she moved a bit closer to share her umbrella.

"Uhm…you're going to catch a cold in the rain." She said, trying to smile. Akihiko was able to look and take in her features; she was good-looking, no doubt, and he thought he was going to blush at their close proximity but the urge faded when he was reminded of his painful predicament with his eyes.

"Uh…thanks." He nodded. "I should be heading back to my apartment and wash my eyes."

"Oh…uhm...I see…" she bit her lip. "Uhm, I won't mind sharing the umbrella." With that, he nodded and they both walked towards the shaded area and up the stairs that led to the upper floors. He waited for her to fold her umbrella before they both climbed up the stairs in complete silence and oddly enough, side by side. He felt it weird to be walking side by side with a girl he just met today, let alone a complete stranger to him, but forces unknown had them both walking side by side. He usually was ahead, if he recalls. She on the other hand felt it awkward to walk side by side with someone she just sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray.

Akihiko stays in the second floor, but before they even reached the second floor landing, he stopped and turned to Minako.

"Pardon, I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet." He said and Minako stared at him for a few seconds. "I mean, we're neighbors, right?" taking note of what he heard Arisato say earlier. How was she connected to that silent dude anyway? "I don't mean to pry into your private life, but I was wondering how you knew Arisato-san." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Man, he rarely asks other people such questions. Scratch that, he never asked anyone such questions.

Minako on the other hand stared at him as if he caught her off guard. He started to panic, but then she smiled. Wow, was she taking long at registering what he just said. "I'm his sister." She said nonchalantly. "Younger twin sister."

"Twin?" he blurted out and realized he did, so he apologized. "Sorry…I find it a bit hard to…believe."

"We're fraternal twins." She explained sweetly. "We don't look alike, but we're siblings."

"I see." Akihiko nodded. True. They don't look alike. She's got brown hair; Minato has blue. Her eyes are a brilliant red and Minato's are crystal blue and her face is much cheerier than her brother's. But still, they were siblings. Fraternal twins. "Sanada. Akihiko Sanada." He introduced himself. "I stay at the first unit in the second floor."

"That's nice. I'll be staying with my brother in the third floor." She looked and realized that they were in the second floor. "Well, I guess I better head up."

"Let me walk you up." Akihiko politely offered, but Minako shook her head.

"No need. I won't get lost. Minato-nii's apartment isn't that too hard to find. Uhm…besides…don't you need to wash your eyes?" she pouted remembering she sprayed him in the eyes with the pepper spray.

Akihiko suppressed a groan. He was trying to forget that his eyes were still stinging to save the girl's guilt since she was feeling worse already. "It's not a big deal now. Think of it as a welcome greeting." He said and climbed up towards the third floor. "Well? Come on."

Minako sighed. She gave up in telling him not to bother, but he sure is nice. She followed him upstairs and as soon as they were in the third floor, found the Arisatos' apartment door. "Well, here you go. Guess I'll see you around." Akihiko said and turned back to the stairs to go back to his unit. Minako turned to look at him.

"a-anou…thanks, Sanada-san…uhm..see you around." She said and turned open the knob to walk in. Akihiko made sure she went inside before going down and to his unit where, upon entering his premises, groaned and made his way to the bathroom.

"damn, stupid pepper sprays…why the hell do they have to sting so much? Guess that's the way it goes…"

-TBC-

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><p>an: Got the idea from listening repeatedly to Owl City's "Deer in Headlights" and I remembered Junpei mentioning something to our dear female protagonist (i used the name 'Minako' and not 'Hamuko' for various reasons although both names are really cute) that she looked like a deer in headlight on their first meet.

I really tried to get Akihiko in this story... and i was waaaay too amused with Minato. Minako? uh...well...uhm, i'll try even harder to make the next chapter better! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_a/n: Chapter two is finally up!~ YEY! This one is a lot longer than the first, so prepare yourself for some intense reading. LOL._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Walk around the town<strong>

Next morning was a convenience compared to last night. The storm that the weather man predicted must have switched to another direction seeing that today the sun was up and about, shining down on the city, making puddles left behind by the rainfall from the evening before sparkle.

Despite this, snuggled underneath his sheets, Akihiko refuses to wake up. He was having too good a dream, albeit the fact he was dreaming of a giant pepper spray chasing him. No, even though it was a nightmare, his dream had her face embedded into his mind; her sweet smile, her smooth angelic voice and those ruby red eyes staring at him apologetically like a dog does when whimpering.

And he doesn't have a clue why he was even dreaming of his neighbor's younger twin sister when he just met her yesterday.

He was burying himself even deeper underneath his sheets when all of a sudden; he felt a heavy mass atop him, pulling off the sheets and licking his face. His eyes snapped open and he almost screamed upon seeing a dog sitting on top of him, wagging its tail; waiting to see that he gets up.

"Oh geez, Koromaru. Get off." He grumpily muttered as he pulled his sheets over him again and closed his eyes trying to get back to sleep; he was in the middle of a good dream that ended up being interrupted…just when he was dreaming of the moment he shared the umbrella with Minako during the rain.

"Get up, damn it, Aki. You're acting like a kid today." Said a voice that made Akihiko's eyes snap open, but he did not stir.

"I'm sleepy. Go away Shinji." He answered and heard the other man who entered his room sigh.

"Get off him Koro." He told the dog and the dog jumped off of Akihiko. "Seriously, I even asked Koromaru to wake you up when I end up doing it seeing you won't be getting your sorry hide off that bed. I wouldn't blame you though. Your eyes got sprayed with pepper spray. Fine. Stay in bed all day like hell I care. Go to the kitchen if you fancy some breakfast." Koromaru whimpered but left the room following the man Akihiko called 'Shinji'. Akihiko was about to settle himself in going back to sleep when his eyes once more snapped open and he sat up.

"How the hell did you know my eyes got pepper sprayed, Shinji?" he yelled, not exactly awaiting response soon since Shinji had left the room, but either way, he still replied.

"The new girl…Arisato's younger twin sister…yeah, she knocked in our door about an hour ago, looking for you. I was about to make breakfast, but it seems she's cooked breakfast for us too, so I didn't bother." Shinji yelled back before his voice was drowned out down the hall. Akihiko looked bewildered. Was she nice or was she still apologizing? And she told Shinji? He quickly got off the bed, not bothering to dress up or fixing his unruly hair and made his way down the hall to the kitchen where he saw a good Japanese meal for breakfast.

Great. So is she a cook like Shinji is?

"Honestly, Aki, do I have to be like a mother to you around here and tell you to dress up and be presentable in the morning?" snarled Shinji when he saw the man take a seat in the table.

"what did she say?"

"What?"

"Arisato-san's sister. What did she tell you?"

Shinji sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Not much…she came by saying she wanted to apologize to you." He grinned. "God, Aki, why the hell were you approaching a girl like her in the middle of a rainy night with your hood up? You looked like a hoodlum. You're lucky that Arisato didn't bother to kill you for scaring his sister."

"SHE SPRAYED MY EYES!" Akihiko yelled back, but then Shinji had a point. It was night, it was raining, she was new around here and it didn't help that it was raining and he had his jacket's hood up. "I thought you said she didn't tell you much?"

"Hm." Shinji shrugged. "It wasn't too much. She said she was in a hurry so she explained herself real quick and told me how she came to know you." He sat across Akihiko and took a bite off the breakfast Minako prepared for them. "So she's Arisato's twin sister. We never got round to getting to know him that much, which is quite a surprise to know he's got a twin sister…and that they're going to live together."

"Hm. Come to think of it, Arisato-san is the only one we barely know around here." added Akihiko as he took a bite off the meal as well. "Hey, this is good."

"Point taken, we know the others around here too much." Shinji nodded.

"Like Iori."

"Tch. Too noisy."

"Takeba."

"Ugh. Too talkative…and she made me carry her shopping bags way too many times."

"how about Yamagishi?"

"that one? Might be the most normal neighbor we ever have in this complex."

"You've forgotten that Yamagishi rarely steps out of her apartment." Akihiko sighed. "I stayed for a good half an hour standing at her doorway after I rang the bell to tell her about the landlord's party. She wouldn't even want to step out if I hadn't told her that it was perfectly fine for about twenty times."

"Then too timid." Shinji said as a comment. He put down his coffee and stood. "Listen, I got to jet." He looked at his watch. "I'm supposed to be at work right now."

Akihiko nodded. Right, Shinji works as head chef for a five-star restaurant. "Have a nice day then." He said as Shinji bent down to give Koromaru some breakfast.

"Shouldn't YOU be going to work as well?" Shinji raised an eyebrow at his friend who seemed to be slacking off this morning. "You're not yourself today, really. You're usually up at 5 am, running outside for a jog, and today you choose to stay in late."

"I was the one who got sprayed with pepper spray." Akihiko grumbled. "It still stings. I'm going to have to call in myself sick today."

"No you are not going to. You are perfectly fine. Go get dressed. I'm driving you to work. I can afford to lose twenty minutes. The restaurant won't open in an hour anyway." Shinji said, more of an order than a request and Akihiko frowned as he stood and walked back to his room.

In just a few minutes, Akihiko looked more presentable than he did when he first woke up and was now seated in Shinji's car, on the way to work. "You didn't have to drive me." He said and Shinji only snorted.

"This is the only way I know how to make sure you're going to work today."

"You're suddenly not trusting me?" Akihiko asked in disbelief. "To think you're my best buddy and we live in the same apartment."

"Trusting is not the issue here, Aki." Shinji said as he stopped his car. "Your head is somewhere in the clouds and you ought to get that back down here before anything else." He grinned. "I'm seriously thinking it has something to do with our neighbor's sister."

Akihiko's eyes widened in surprise. "That's not-"

"Explain yourself later, we're here." Shinji said as he leaned and opened Akihiko's side of the door and pushed his friend out. "Get your ass out of my car and get to work, I'm leaving." He said and Akihiko was about to resent when Shinji closed the door and sped away. He sighed and turned his back and made his way inside the station where he worked. There were way too many papers to file today and cases to look into as well.

Lunch break rolls over and Akihiko couldn't stifle a yawn any longer. He slumps on his desk and sighs, having quite a boring time. Filing papers was too easy and fast to do. Looking into cases didn't take too much of his time either as there were just a few today.

He really wished he hadn't gone to work for his eyes still felt heavy. What he wanted to hear now is his boss telling him he can get off work early today.

"Oh, Sanada, I was looking for you." Rang the voice of his boss as he grudgingly sat up. "I have something to tell you."

'_Uhg, it's bound to be more work.'_ He thought as he stood and made his way to the chief's office. "Something you want to relay to me, chief?"

"You can get off early now and as an additional treat, you can take a week off as well." said his chief leaving Akihiko speechless.

"What?"

"Didn't you hear me? Or you want me to take it back?" the chief chuckled. "I said you can take a week off starting now. You've worked hard on the last case and it was difficult to crack, without your help. I'm sure you're exhausted still from it. It's in your eyes."

Aklihiko wanted to roll his eyes for that comment. If only his boss knew that his eyes felt tired because he experienced the power of pepper sprays at its full potential in his irises. "Yeah." He answered. "Thanks chief."

"No problem, boy. Just go get some rest. You work too hard…if I were you, you go look for a nice girl for yourself now." The man chuckled that made Akihiko wince. His chief shouldn't tell him about such things he doesn't consider his priority right now.

"Sheesh chief, it's just a week."

"Enough time for you to find one. You work too hard; you rarely have a social life."

"At least I have a life." Akihiko muttered under his breath. "I guess I can get going then."

"Get your little self outta here, Sanada before I change my mind." And with that, Akihiko hurried out the station, carrying his things but not knowing exactly where to go at such a nice day. He sighed. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to stay in the office today, but hell, it was boring there and going home right now would only make it worse. There's nothing else to do there and he only has Koromaru to keep him company.

He stopped walking and saw a bookstore. Maybe he can get himself an interesting book to read so he won't be entirely bored being at home. At least he would be doing something productive. "All right." He muttered and entered the shop, to hear an old couple laughing along with a young and familiar female voice. Oh no, not- "A-Arisato-san?"

Quickly, all eyes averted towards the silver-haired man, the brunette he called smiled warmly at him as the old couple in front of her also smiled. "Ah, Sanada-san…" She said. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I was about to ask the same thing." answered Akihiko.

"Were you also looking for a book, because Minako-chan here certainly was, although her company was nice." Interrupted the old man and Minako laughed.

"Please, Bunkichi-jii…it was really nice to stay and chat." Minako said kindly and looked at her wristwatch. "But I have to go now."

"Oh, please do come again, dear. It's a real pleasure having you here," said the old woman as Minako only nodded her head.

"I will, Mitsuko-baa-chan." She said and turned to Akihiko. "Uhm…S-Sanada-san, anou…c-can I speak with you for a moment?"

She wanted to talk to him? But why? Akihiko nodded his head and a huge wave of relief was painted all over Minako's face. He bowed his head to the old couple and followed her out of the store. Minako was fidgeting and he was greatly curious why.

"Uh, hey, are you all right?" he asked and she didn't respond immediately, until he tapped her on the shoulder that she squeaked in surprise and he held back for a moment and waited until she calmed down a bit. He was a bit worried why she began to act like this when just moments ago she was very fine.

"Ah…uhm..s-sorry…I…" she bit her lip and looked anywhere but at him. Apparently, her eyes only focused on her feet. "I was wondering…i-if…a-about this morning…uhm…"

OH. THE BREAKFAST. "The meal you sent over?" Akihiko asked and smiled at the girl. "It was delicious. Did you make it yourself?"

Minako looked up at him in surprise but then smiled. So he did eat the breakfast meal she sent over. "Y-yes. I was hoping it would suffice for last night. I'm really sorry about that."

Pepper spray incident Akihiko would rather forget. His eyes did still feel tired from the encounter yesterday. Washing it off didn't work and he looked like a crying baby for a good one hour, locked in his room, due to the stinging of the pepper spray until he fell asleep. "You know what, it's nothing." He said, trying to keep a smile on his face. "But thanks for the breakfast, really. It was really delicious."

Minako blushed for the complement. Other than Minato, Akihiko is the first person in this new town that complemented her for her cooking talents. "T-thank you…"

"I should be the one thanking you for the delicious meal." He blushed and sighed. "uhm…didn't you say you were going someplace?"

"Not exactly…I was hoping to walk around and familiarize myself with the place…" Minako looked around. "So far, I hadn't gotten lost yet." She giggled and Akihiko chuckled as well.

"I'd be glad to escort you around, if you'd like." He offered and she shook her head. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no…it's just that, aren't you supposed to be at work or something? I might be bothering you…"

"It's really fine…my boss chucked me out of the office today, giving me a week off…" He said with a light laugh. "I was going to head home, but it will be boring there anyway."

"In that case…" Minako flashed a smile his way. "I accept your offer then."

Happy, Akihiko and Minako walked side by side as they started the so-called tour around town. It took an entire day, but none of them minded the hours that ticked by quickly. The both of them were having so much fun just talking and touring the place and to Minako, Akihiko was surprisingly accommodating, in contrast to his always serious-looking side. But, he was really nice just like yesterday.

The both of them were now walking back to the apartment as the day was about to end, indicated by the color of the sky: a brilliant shade of orange and red, a sign of the sunset. Minako noticed her brother's car parked and told Akihiko nonchalantly that her brother must be back from work as she skipped towards the stairs followed by her escort who was more like her tour guide for the rest of the day.

"I really had fun, thank you for showing me around, Sanada-san." said Minako, turning to him and flashing him very happy and content smiles. "Maybe I should make you and your room mate another meal as proper thanks, would that be all right?"

The offer was kind, but he shook his head no. "It's really all right, no need to do such." He chuckled. This girl was way too kind for her own good. Maybe he should do the same to welcome such a nice girl? "You should come over with your brother for dinner with us once." Akihiko suggested although he was wondering why he said that all of a sudden, even more so, include Minato. "You've met Shinji, right?"

"He's the one who opened the door, am I right?" asked Minako and Akihiko nodded.

"Yeah. He works as a chef. Tell you what, I'll tell him we'll be having you two over for dinner. When would be the best time, that's the question," he was already starting to think of a perfect day to have the dinner, when he caught sight of Minako looking quite worried. "Is something the matter?"

"N-no…it's just that, I really don't want to be that big of a bother…after all, I just met you…and I barely know you and your friend." Minako sighed. "Would it be all right?"

He gave her a very friendly smile. "Of course it is." He said. "Let's see…how about the day after tomorrow night? Shinji's not going to work then and that'll give him plenty of time to prepare dinner. Think of this as a party to welcome you."

Minako took a few seconds to think before she nodded her head. "Uhm, okay. I better head up and tell Minato-nii about this." She said happily. "I can't wait until then. See you some time, Sanada-san." She waved her hand and turned for the stairs.

"Likewise, Arisato-san. Have a good evening." Akihiko said and was about to open the door, when Minako called out to him once more.

"Anou...Sanada-san, you can call me by my name." She giggled. "It might get confusing if you're with me and my brother…I just thought of that now."

"Oh." Was all Akihiko could say. He was a bit startled that she called out to him, but it seems she just wanted to tell him about this. "You're right." She does have a valid point…but wait…what was her name again?

"It's Minako. You can just call me by that, Sanada-san." She said. "Have a nice evening as well."

"Wait, before you go…" Minako turned round as Akihiko was the one to call back this time around. "I have one condition."

She tilted her head to her left. "Condition?" she asked. Akihiko nodded his head. "what is it?"

"Just call me Akihiko." He grinned. Fair is fair, right? He calls her by her name, she should call him by his as well.

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><p>TBC<p>

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><p><em>an: Well, that was something. I'm still trying to get my brain cells to work as i finished this chapter. I'd just like to point some things out._

_First, thanks to people who read the first chapter and loved it even more, the pepper spray part. I found out a lot of people has the same favorite part, and that is Akihiko being sprayed by pepper spray. HAH._

_Second, i was given a funfact by someone regarding the pepper spray and messaged me the facts about it. I appreciate the gesture, after all, it doesn't hurt to learn something new. Believe it or not, being sprayed with pepper spray in the eyes is something that hasn't happened and something that i really don't wish to happen to me ever. And I do admit, I didn't do much research on its background on how a person is affected by such; i just did away with imagination and a bit of common sense. I'm quite aware it's pretty painful to experience such. _

_third, you may have noticed that i failed to incorporate this chapter with a lyric from the song i used as inspiration for this story. I have a format laid out for this story so it might be a long while before i incorporate some lyrics to a chapter._

_fourth, This is twice long than the first, but i'm taking you people like that than a short one, ne?_

_lastly, there hadn't been much fluff between the Minako and Aki, and Shinji and Aki's parts here are my favorite for this chapter, to be quite honest. I had a lot of fun making their lines. hahaha. xD_

_Hope to post the next chapter soon, if i can and i hope you guys liked this chapter. If not, then, I'll just have to make a better next chapter. :P_


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n: Sorry took so long, but here comes chapter 3! I've been terribly busy and sick nowadays so i had to squeeze in as much time as i can and figure out what comes next with this story. This chapter may have not made much sense or what so ever, but i will make it up on the next chapter, i promise. For now, the fun and laughter is just beginning...or until i figure out how it really begins. You see, I'm just writing what comes into mind. Hahah. _

_And i've been playing too much P3P again. Sorry. I was in the middle of a special fanfic project which is why i had to play the game again and again. (On NG+ nonetheless.) Plus, i was working on some P3P fan art. Feel free to message me if you want to see the art, I'll give you the link. _

_Now, we shall have short recaps! I'm not really good with making recaps, but i'll just try. _

_**RECAP:** Newcomer to town, Minako Arisato is staying with her twin brother, Minato Arisato and had met Akihiko Sanada that ended up with a pepper spray incident. To make up for it, Minako had made breakfast for Akihiko and his room mate, Shinjiro Aragaki. As Akihiko was given a week off from work, he once again bumps into the lovely Minako and had agreed to tour her around the city and offered to hold a dinner party to formally welcome her. Now, if only Shinji knew he was the one to cook for this dinner party..._

_And so it begins..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Party Favors<strong>

Akihiko could tell that Shinjiro wasn't pleased with the news he told the man the minute he stepped inside the apartment the night before. It was clearly obvious, seeing that the man didn't bother making dinner and went straight to his room without so much as a word about the dinner plan, forcing Akihiko on another instant ramen night. The next morning, Akihiko woke up to see that Koromaru was whimpering underneath his bed; he had to lie on his stomach and call out to the dog many times to get him out. If Koromaru was acting like this, then hell, Shinji really is pissed.

But, as Akihiko, pulling a nervous Koromaru with him, went to the kitchen, a less-pissed Shinji was cooking breakfast on the stove. In fact, Shinji was even humming!

"uh…Shinji?" Aki's tone was of nervousness, anxiety, but most likely of confusion. He was trying to clarify what happened to Shinji and his sudden mood swing.

"Sit." Ordered Shinji without so much as looking behind him. "You too Koromaru." Gingerly, Akihiko sat on a chair in the table and Koromaru sat on the floor beside him, not even wagging his tail. It took a few more seconds, and soon, Shinji faced both; his hands holding mouth-watering plates of breakfast. He put the plates down and went to attend to Koromaru's food bowl. Seeing Shinji go get dog food, Koromaru's tail started wagging again that Akihiko couldn't help but feel a little relieved with the dog's behavior. "Aren't you going to even eat after I prepared breakfast?" said Shinji as he placed down the food bowl and Koromaru stood, walked towards it and started eating.

"Huh?"

"Breakfast." Shinji repeated, facing Aki, looking as if he was trying his best to not go and punch his best friend in the morning.

"er…Shinji…"

"Look, I thought it over last night…I'm considering it, after all, that girl did make breakfast for us yesterday."

"Her name's Minako." Corrected Aki as he took a fork and was about to start to eat when he noticed Shinji grinning at him.

"What?"

"Getting a little too cozy with her, aren't you?" said Shinji as Aki just scowled at him. "I'm right, am I not?"

"There's nothing wrong with being friendly with the neighbor."

"Yeah, right. Being friendly. Too friendly perhaps…you're already calling each other by your names. Whatever Aki, it's your word, not mine…but just get this, next time you're thinking about offering for someone to have dinner over at our place, make sure that the person doing the cooking is present as well on your side. I felt like I didn't have a say in this little party of yours." With Shinji's words, Akihiko understood why he was so upset last night. He hung his head low.

"Hey, sorry…but…" now this was when he thought it would be risky to say as either a joke or just pointing out the truth. If he said it, he was predicting Shinjiro would swing his fist at him the moment he's done with his sentence. Bah, that doesn't matter now, does it? "…you sound like a complaining house wife."

"If I were a female…married…" Shinji violently flinched at saying that word, "…to you…" Aki could tell from his tone he was struggling to say that. "…I'd be filing a divorce right now."

Akihiko laughed. "Hey come on now! It's not that bad…is it?"

"I'd be serious if I were…but since I'm your friend, Aki, I've pretty much gotten used to you…I don't think your future wife can…but if she can, then she's hell got a load of guts…and will power."

"For what?"

"For not trying to kill you." Shinji laughed as he sat on the table, satisfied at seeing Akihiko's mad face. "Good luck in finding a wife…or a girlfriend…but I don't think you'd be having much trouble finding one, if they'd base it on good looks."

"There you go again…I really don't get that."

"You don't have to dumbass. In any case, the dinner party's tomorrow night. Lucky for you, I've got a long weekend off. I'm going to make a list of what to prepare tomorrow."

"Yeah…you do that." Shinji stood and left the kitchen and Akihiko wolfed down his breakfast real quick, put the dishes in the sink and went back to his room. He was wondering what he was going to do today since Shinji's going to be busy. If he comes to disturbing the guy, they'd only end up in another fist fight and yelling. Or worse, Shinji holding any rolled up newspaper hurts far worse than his own fists. He's lucky he isn't holding any bust stop sign like the last time he chased Akihiko around the apartment complex due to some bad joke he made that infuriated the guy; the incident left him wondering how on earth did Shinji acquire the bus stop sign, even more so how on earth was he able to get it from in front of Gekkoukan high. He was aware Gekkoukan high was along his way home, but why would Shinji even bother to steal it from the street and bring it home? Why did he steal it? Did he even steal it?

Realizing there was nothing to do inside his room; he resolved to take Koromaru out on a walk. After all, Koromaru had been begging both he and Shinji to take him out on a walk last night but none of them were in the mood to step out. A morning walk should make up for Koromaru. After all, the dog loves to walk and visit the shrine. He could also use some jogging.

Akihiko went out and took Koromaru's dog leash. He called out for the dog and Koromaru came running towards him excitedly as if he already knew that Akihiko was going to take him out on a walk. "Easy boy…" he chuckled as he bent down and strapped the leash on the dog's collar. "There. Let's step out for a bit…it's a nice day today."

"You taking Koro for a walk?" asked Shinji who apparently came back from his room. Akihiko nodded as a response and Shinji did as well. "Yeah, you do that. He didn't have one last night." added Shinji as he disappeared inside the kitchen. "And make sure you bring your house keys cuz I sure as hell won't answer the door for you if you come back even if you have Koromaru with you."

"Let's go then." Akihiko said and both he and the dog went towards the door and stepped out into a bright sunny morning. As he closed the door, about to start walking, he was briefly interrupted by a voice calling out to him.

"Hey, Akihiko-san." Akihiko turned to his next door neighbor who apparently also stepped out his apartment and was now walking towards him. "And Koro-chan…'morning." He greeted with a grin.

"Morning, Junpei. Nice to see you're out of your apartment."

"Hey come on, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. What brings you out here?"

"I was about to ask the same thing…but then I'd just sound stupid if I did…" Junpei pointed towards Koromaru.

"Don't waste your time with him senpai. He's just going to brag to you that he's met Minato's sister yesterday morning." said another voice, a female this time. Both males and dog turned around to see a woman walking out of her door and closing it behind her. "Good morning, Sanada-senpai…good morning Koromaru."

"Morning, Yukari." Greeted Akihiko as Koromaru also gave a nod to Yukari.

Junpei frowned at Yukari's statement and didn't give a morning greeting. "Come on Yuka-tan, Minato's sister is cute! Man, if you saw her Akihiko-senpai, you'd definitely think she is too!"

"I think she is. She's really kind." Akihiko answered which had both of his neighbors gape at him. "What?"

"H-how did you know?" Yukari asked.

"Whoa…senpai…are you like, psychic or stalking?" Junpei asked, getting a glare from Yukari.

"That's not it!" answered Akihiko. "I met her when she…when she got here…" he sighed, remembering the pepper spray incident.

"When she got here?"

"She moved in with her brother the night before last night and we sort of ran into each other." More like he ran into her. "She made breakfast for Shinji and me yesterday morning."

Junpei's jaw dropped. "She did what?"

Akihiko cleared his throat just to repeat what he said to Junpei who clearly was in disbelief. "She cooked breakfast for me and Shinji and delivered it here yesterday morning."

"Oh, so that's why she was in this floor yesterday! I thought she was a new resident at first. Well, she is, but she's coming to live with Minato and stuff… I thought she was going to stay at one of the apartments …I couldn't even believe Minato's her twin brother…they're both so different…" stated Yukari. "In any case…I'd really like to give her a proper welcome in the apartment. After all, it seems that this is her first time in the city. We should make her feel more welcome."

"I agree…hey how about we throw a party or something?" Junpei suggested excitedly. "Hehn. I can like, ask Minato about that…although I can't be too sure if he'll agree…I heard that he's going to be busy helping his sister regarding work today."

"Oh yeah…she said something about getting a job with Minato's help yesterday, right? I almost forgot about that…but, how can we ask Minato? He's perfectly busy as it is…I don't think he'd agree to your idea that easily too. " sighed Yukari and Akihiko was about to open his mouth to suggest the dinner party, but then he remembered that Shinji doesn't like him deciding things just like that. Giving up, he was about to start walking off when the apartment door opened and Shinjiro poked out.

"Hey dumbass, you forgot your keys. Honestly I feel like some house wife or a mom to you. Keep this up, I'm moving out and I'm not going to show you any pity if you can't even survive a week." He said and realized that Junpei and Yukari were there. His face stiffened. "What are you two looking at?" growled Shinji as Aki went back to get his keys. He noticed Yukari nudged Junpei just as he was about to speak, knowing that Junpei would probably make a bad joke out of what Shinji had just said, but seeing Shinji's face, Yukari beat Junpei from saying something.

"Perfect timing." Akihiko said, taking the keys from Shinji and pulling his friend out the door. "We were just discussing something…you ought to know about this."

Shinji took one look at Akihiko and quick glances at Yukari and Junpei then did a straight face. "No. Not interested."

"Shinji, you got to know."

"I'm busy." He said and turned back to head inside the apartment

"The dinner party for Minako-san can wait just five minutes, right?" Akihiko grinned. There. He knew if he mentioned this in front of Yukari and Junpei, Shinji would have to stay and listen since 'outside forces' have learned of it and Yukari and Junpei were most likely to jump in and ask questions.

"Dinner party for Minako-chan? Oh, you two have already planned a party for her." Yukari said happily.

"A dinner party! Sweet! With Shinjiro-senpai's cooking, it's bound to be awesome…hey senpai…can we come too?" Junpei asked.

Bingo. Shinji turned around and glared at Akihiko but Akihiko just kept smiling. "No." he answered that earned him a frown from Akihiko.

"What? But, senpai! Please?"

"Junpei, if the guys says no, then it's no-"

"As long as you don't make a mess," Shinji looked at Junpei, "and don't make too much noise, it'll be fine."

"Oh! That's great!" Yukari chirped. "Would it be all right to set up decorations too?"

"Decorations?" Shinji asked. "What the hell-all right, but remember to take them down after the party yourselves. I'm not cleaning up those shit afterwards." He said and went inside, not interested in waiting to see Junpei and Yukari's reaction to his answer.

"This is great! Oh, I better shop for those decorations! Oh! I know, I can ask Fuuka to help- it's about time she steps out her apartment and meet Minato's sister!" Yukari excitedly said, quickly taking out her phone to send a text message.

"Great, well I'll be heading back in my apartment and-" before Junpei could walk out, Yukari had pulled him by his collar. "What?"

"You're going to help me and Fuuka with the stuff." She snarled at Junpei's pout and pulled him towards the third floor to where the other resident's apartment was. "We'll be going ahead, senpai. See you later." Said Yukari as she and a complaining Junpei walked upstairs. Akihiko scratched his head and heard Koromaru whine beside him.

"Oh, hey boy, have you been waiting there the whole time?" he asked as he bent down to pat the dog's head. "Let's get going then." Koromaru barked happily and walked ahead of Akihiko, but not too ahead as they both climbed down the stairs. As soon as he and Koromaru were in the ground floor landing, out of nowhere came Minako's blue-haired twin brother in a suit as always, reading a couple of folders, sighing away as if he was checking some wrong grammar on an elementary student's essay homework. He finally felt Akihiko and Koromaru's presence and turned around to look at them, but Minato's eyes were sort of glaring at Akihiko's way, until it softened when Koromaru came running towards him. "Morning." Akihiko anxiously said. He noticed that glare, but he wasn't sure why his neighbor would glare at him so early in the morning. Minato gave a nod to him as he bent down to pat Koromaru. "On your way to work?"

"Hm." Minato answered without looking at Akihiko. "Minako told me about the dinner party."

"O-oh…that…well…if it's all right with you guys, that is. Shinji's already making preparations for it."

For a moment there both men fell silent and Koromaru watched them with curious eyes. Akihiko thought it was best to get away from there as soon as possible and when he was about to pry Koromaru away from Minato, Minato looked up at him. "We'll bring something." He said.

"You don't have to." said Akihiko.

"She insists." Said Minato.

"What are you talking about?" asked a female voice and both men and dog turned around to see who it was. Minako smiled at them both. "Ah, good morning, Akihiko-san."

"Good morning." Answered Akihiko as Koromaru barked. "Koro-"

"Aw, he's a cutie! Your dog?" Minako asked as she bent down and Akihiko nodded.

"He's named Koromaru."

"Hello Koromaru." Greeted Minako and the dog barked happily at her and allowed the girl to pat his head. "He's such a sweet dog."

"Minako, we're wasting daylight." Said Minato and Minako rolled her eyes.

"You said we were good thirty-minutes early." She smirked. "Why the rush?"

"Because this is a job interview we're going to and let's get going already." He said and turned to Akihiko and gave him a nod before entering his car and shutting his side of the door. Minako pouted but she stood up straight.

"All right…" she turned to Akihiko. "I'll catch you later then." She said and turned to Koromaru and gave the dog one last pat. "You too Koro-chan." With that, she turned around and went to the car and gave a last wave of good bye before getting in. Akihiko waved good bye as he watched the car leave the apartment and he sighed and turned to Koromaru.

"Come, on, let's go on that walk of yours already." He said and he jogged out followed happily by Koromaru. He and Koromaru had jogged places and even stopped by the shrine where Akihiko let Koromaru go off and play for a bit before deciding to come back to the apartment for lunch. When they were already back at the complex, he noticed that there was a familiar motorcycle parked at the lot and suddenly, Koromaru broke into a run that Akihiko who let go of the leash chased after the dog up to their apartment.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked as he fumbled for his house keys and Koromaru stopped jumping on the door to let Akihiko open it. As soon as he opened it, he ran inside and Akihiko followed after, removing his shoes and noticed a pair of shoes belonging to a female. He smiled and heard voices and laughter and followed to where it came from.

"I knew it was your motorcycle out in the front…" he grinned at Shinji and a woman with beautiful burgundy hair seated on the couch. "Long time no see, Mitsuru. How have you been?"

"Akihiko. Good to see you." Said the woman as she stood and gave Akihiko a quick hug. "It has been a long time…it's good to be back." Koromaru barked and the woman smiled down at the dog. "You too Koromaru. I see you're doing well."

But, Akihiko was a bit confused with what Mitsuru meant by being good to be back. "What? Where have you been? The only thing Shinji and I know was that you've failed to come visit us in awhile."

"I have... I think I may have forgotten to tell you both that I was out of the country for a month to attend to business." Mitsuru said, crossing her arms. "Busy times indeed…"

"Heard your company's gotten more popular" said Shinji as both Akihiko and Mitsuru sat on the couch. "…what's this new technological development you call?"

"As you know, Ikutsuki-san, the landlord of this apartment is also one of the company's top robotics expert. He and Takeba's father, also the company's top researcher and scientist worked together on a project called 'Mechanical Maiden' and they've both successfully created a prototype…the robot is still undergoing some tests but I'm pretty confident that everything will turn out excellent." Mitsuru said proudly. "It will take both of them some time before they finish it though, so Ikutsuki-san probably won't be able to come back in the apartment in awhile."

"Wait, you're telling me, that your company's currently making a robot?" Akihiko asked.

"Yes… but…let's not go deeper into that for now. It is after all, still a company secret. I can't give out any more information than that. In any case, I have heard from Arisato his sister is staying with him." Mitsuru said. Oh right, Mitsuru knows Minato through the world of business and perhaps beyond that, but knowing the woman, she wouldn't delve into that much longer. Business is business. That wasn't the topic of the conversation right now. "I was considering taking her into the company, seeing that his sister has quite a remarkable record. Her standards are quite high; she fits to take a very high position in the company. However, he refuses to let me take her under my wing."

Shinji snorted. "Yeah…what were you planning to turn her into? Vice president or something?"

"More like my apprentice…but vice president works too…I would have to fire the current just so she could get that position." Mitsuru chuckled and both men sighed.

"That isn't fair Mitsuru." Akihiko said. "In any case, you free for an entire day then? We can hang out, all three of us like the old days."

"I'm afraid I still have business to attend to. There are just so many meetings, I had to escape the office with my motorcycle." Sighed Mitsuru as she brushed some hair away from her face. "However, I've heard from Shinji that you two are planning a dinner party to welcome Arisato's sister. I hope you don't mind me coming along. I was offering to hire a caterer and a party planner but Shinji had been telling me no every time I bring it up."

Akihiko immediately looked at Shinji who was just shrugging at him. "She saw the recipes and notes I stuck on the fridge door. It would be impolite to not invite a friend, and please. The entire apartment's going to be present in this party, I'd hate for this place to be too crowded." He muttered and Akihiko went back to Mitsuru.

"That would be great." He said.

"Very well then…" Mitsuru stood up followed by the two men. All three went to the front door. "I would come by tomorrow night for the party…It was nice coming over to visit. Thanks for the time."

"Come on Mitsuru. You don't always have to be formal around us." chuckled Akihiko.

"You keep forgetting that my upbringing has brought about habits that are hard to break, Akihiko…" she smiled wryly. "But… yes, I think I'd like to be informal around you two once in awhile. It brings back memories."

"Yeah, well, enough about that." Interrupted Shinji. "See you tomorrow Mitsuru."

"Of course." Mitsuru gave both a quick hug and turned her heel to leave, with Shinji closing the door behind her. He then turned to Akihiko who raised an eyebrow. He looked as if he was going to convict Akihiko of a crime.

"What did I do wrong this time?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's your face that greatly irritates me for some reason." He said, passed by Akihiko, gave Koromaru a pat in the head and went back to his room. Akihiko rolled his eyes.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" He yelled and stomped back to his room. Koromaru was left in the hall looking to where they both left and heard a door slam shut. The dog hung its head low and then whined.

It was evident that the dog was thinking how childish his masters really were.

* * *

><p>TBC<p>

* * *

><p><em>I'd probably do this to all of my entries. xD I'm going to edit the previous ones and place a 'TBC' meaning a 'To Be Continued' thing at the end of the chapters. LOL. <em>

_Anyway, I don't think i did a good enough ending for this story once more...I'm having way too much fun with Shinji and Akihiko arguing, then again i may have crossed the borderline with Shinji-he's not usually like that...but i figured if both men live together and have to put up with each other each day...I know Akihiko's reckless, other times tactless...and that greatly irritates Shinji cuz he worries about his friend too much. After all, he is the mature one, and Akihiko's such a kid._

_Working on the next chapter now. This is where the chaos begins... :D_


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